Report: Phillies tracking old friend Freddy Garcia

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Phillies are one of several teams monitoring the right-hander’s recovery. Garcia is scheduled to throw breaking balls for scouts in Miami this week. [Link]

Garcia underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in August of 2007. Throwing only fastballs and changeups from the mound, his heater is reportedly in the 84-87 mph range. The Yankees, Mets, Astros, Rangers, Royals and Red Sox were named as suitors in the report. In 11 starts for the Phillies in '07, Garcia was 1-5 with a 5.90 ERA.

Further down, Sherman says the Phillies remain "very interested" in Seattle left-hander Erik Bedard. “One NL official said, ‘I heard Philadelphia is not even scared off that he is hurt right now,’ ” Sherman writes. “But word within the game also remains strong that current Phillies GM Pat Gillick will leave at the end of the year to be part of a group that will buy the Mariners, with Gillick likely stepping in as club president. Gillick has an exemplary reputation. But it would be strange to see the Phillies deal prospects that Gillick is extremely knowledgeable about to the Mariners, and then have Gillick become a top Seattle executive. In that case, Gillick would essentially be trading prospects to Gillick and, perhaps, speeding up the rebuilding process for devastated Seattle.”

Comments

[CJ]

In a Stan Hochman column today, we get this quote:

""Last year," Seidman points out, "Howard's strikeout ratio was 37.8 and this year it's 36. However, he walked 18.8 percent of the time last year and is doing so only 11.7 percent this year.""

Hochman is writing about a 22-year old guy named Eric Seidman who has a book on statistics coming out. He's a Philly guy so he's talking about Burrell and Howard in the column. I swear this guy must be on this blog. Is he clout?

[bay_area_phan]

Since CJ carried over from the last thread, I will too. Duh, you're a moron. Get a sense of humor.

[bay_area_phan]

As for this thread, I saw the item about Garcia also. I suppose there's no harm in "tracking" him, as he was once a good pitcher and, if he could make a full recovery, I suppose he could be again. But the odds of it happening immediately upon his return are exceedingly low. And the fact that he's only throwing in the mid-80s doesn't exactly inspire confidence. This is not a play that needs a second act. Gillck would be justifiably lambasted by the Phillies fans and media if he brought back a guy who was a colossal bust the first time around.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

Randy Miller said on Jody Mac's show this morning that he thinks that Bedard is out of the Phils' plans. Unlike other times he's been on, i felt like he was winging it when coming up with what he thinks will happen, though.

[CJ]

If Freddy Garcia is the arm added for the pennant race... I think I may be sick.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

Due dilligence on Garcia is one thing, but for him to be the "answer", is another. We already have one guy (Benson) who's recovering from injury and not going to help this team.

[Lake Fred]

The police track sex offenders, too! That's the analogy to use here. The Phillies are tracking him to be sure he doesn't get too close to CBP.

[TK]

I heard Seth Everett of MLB.com this morning on the FOX Sports radio morning show. He said the Phils were still looking at Burnett, with a stickler being that they WANT him to opt out after this year and if he doesn't, they want the Blue Jays to pick up the bulk of his salary the next 2 years. Phils were only team Seth mentioned by name, but he also said other teams are asking for the same thing...

[CJ]

My preferences:

1. Trade for AJ Burnett using any minor league resources other than Carrasco or Marson.

1a. (If no Burnett) Trade for Erik Bedard using any minor league resources other than Carrasco or Marson.

2. Give Myers one more shot at the rotation and if he fails, send him to the bullpen.

3. Dump Eaton... if Myers comes up and fails, give Happ the spot in the rotation and if he ends up failing then give Carrasco a try.

[Lake Fred]

I'm reading where Francisco Rodriguez of the Anaheim Angels leads MLB with 38 saves. The "Saves" stat is another bogus stat. It is dependent on the team winning the game. It's like Howard's RBI stat, totally meaningless. What's his VORP?

[Bedrosian's Beard]

"being that they WANT him to opt out after this year and if he doesn't, they want the Blue Jays to pick up the bulk of his salary the next 2 years."

Second part doesn't sound that likely, without the Phils making the deal worthwhile.

[Lake Fred]

I think Toronto needs to trade Burnett to us as payback for beating us in the 1993 WS.

[Reed]

I think Seattle should give us Bedard and Toronto should give us Burnett as retirement presents for our lame-duck GM.

[John]

Ugh. That Mariners speculation really bothers me.

[CJ]

Okay... let's deal Marson and Donald to Toronto for Burnett AND deal Carrasco and Golson to Seattle for Bedard.

Rotation:
Hamels
Burnett
Bedard
Kendrick
Moyer

Bullpen:
Lidge
Myers
Romero
Madson
Durbin
Condrey
Gordon/Seanez (whichever is healthy at the time)

Now THAT's a plan! (Okay, I'm done with my fantasy baseball for the day.)

[TK]

CJ, I'd rather get Burnett and Brian Fuentes. Adding Fuentes to that bullpen would make them far and away the best bullpen in the NL.

[CJ]

TK: Yeah... I think getting Fuentes would be great, but I don't think he's even close to worth either of our top two prospects and the Rockies have said the discussion STARTS there. That's just crazy.

[Andy]

CJ - The sad part about that rotation as pure fantasy is that it's not even that over-powering. Part of being a Phils fan is getting used to mediocrity in pitching as a ceiling. (But yeah, I'd be happy with that.)

Jason - In re: Gillick trading to Gillick, I've been saying that for weeks (except for my silence lately due to computer issues and high work volume). On one hand, I want to make jokes about it. But on the other hand, what kind of checks and balances exist to make sure he doesn't trade Carrasco and Marson and Savery/Cardenas for Bedard? MLB's old boys network? I am not convinced that something along those lines is not in the works.

Too scary to joke about.

[NEPhilliesPhan]

Checks and balances? Absolutely none...unless the ownership group steps in to veto the deal.

[bay_area_phan]

Yeah, I think ownership is the check & balance. And if our owners value anything, it's cheap labor. I don't think they'd sit idly by while Gillick trades the whole system to Seattle.

[NEPhilliesPhan]

On a side note, Chase Utley dislodged Michael Jack as my favorite Phillie of all time with his comment last night at the AS Game. Now's that's a Philadelphia ballplayer!!!

[Inside/Outside the Parker]

Andy: Good point, there has to be some system in place to make sure that self dealing doesn't occur. The only problem is that it would be very difficult to show that any deal involving Bedard and Phillies prospects was unfair. If in 2-3 years, Marson and Carrasco are Rookie of the Year candidates, and Bedard makes the All-Star Team twice, how would anyone say that the deal was unfair? Even thinking about it now, I'm not sure that I wouldn't take that. However, if Bedard was a total bust, and Carrasco and Marson become great, then it is different. Either way it would be hard to say that trading prospects for a guy that probably wins the Cy Young last season (assuming he doesn't get hurt), would be a bad deal for the Phillies, unless there is good information that Bedard is seriously hurt and won't recover over the next two years.

Who knows?

Burnett: I'm baffled by all the conflicting reports on Burnett. One minute talks are serious. Next minute, the Phils low balled the Jays to the point of insult. The next thing you hear is that Burnett has the Phils on his no-trade clause. The next thing is that it is not specifically known who is on the no-trade clause. I just wonder how much, if any of this information is accurate. I guess the only thing I believe is that the Jays were definitely scouting the Phillies minor league system. It would be pretty hard to fake that.

[doubleh]

As if I couldn't despise ESPN anymore, they had the audacity to interview David Wright during Chase's at bat.

They are just trying to drive up their own ratings with controversy for future "Rivalry Weeks." A**holes.

I'm not sure about these Bedard/Burnett rumblings. I take every trade rumor I hear about the Phillies with a grain of salt. It always seems to be purposeful leaks from the FO to make it appear to the public that they are going to do something, when, in fact, they probably plan on doing nothing at all (or something that really is nothing like acquiring a redux like Wolf or Byrd).

[Bedrosian's Beard]

The ownership, Montomger, Amaro and MLB are the checks and balances. And who knows, but i'm thinking Gillick is more of a professional than that.

[clout]

Let's see if I have this straight: Parker think's I'm cookie, CJ thinks I'm Seidman, someone else thinks I'm at the Daily News and most here think I'm Jason.

[NEPhilliesPhan]

My thought is this: If they are scouting us, they think a deal is possible...even likely. Otherwise they wouldn't waste time scouting all our prospects. If Burnett has a no-trade clause for Phila, they probably wouldn't be wasting so much effort. The rest is probably just maneueving between the two sides making it appear that they're either not interested or wante more...all the leaks we get seem to be of that type.

[NEPhilliesPhan]

I think clout is all of the above...

[Wes Chamberlain]

Checks and balances = Amaro Jr. and Arbuckle.

I know those two have few fans around these parts, but they both would be interested in the GM job next year and most likely Amaro will get that job. So I don't think he would sit quitley by while Gillick trades Carrassco, Marson and Donald for Bedard.

I don't have a whole lot of faith in Amaro, but I do think he is smart enough to not allow Gillick to stock the M's at the Phils expense.

[BeatWritersSuck]

Double H get over it Utley's at bat was not very entertaining

[clout]

I'd be very curious to see what the posts on Beerleaguer look like if it turns out the deal Gillick pulls off at trade deadline to help the rotation is to sign -- Freddy Garcia!

[flipper]

CJ:

"1. Trade for AJ Burnett using any minor league resources other than Carrasco or Marson."

Lol! Why not just say trade for AJ Burnett -- but don't give up anyone other than Taguchi and Eaton.

But I love your second proposal - Marson for Burnett and Carrasco for Bedard. Now you're talking.

If you're worried about the minor league teams, trade Bedard and Burnett for prospects immediately after the Phils win the WS.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

And at the same time, Marson/Carrasco/Donald for Bedard really isn't that crazy of a deal, unless Bedard is seriously injured. Didn't the M's give more than that for him?

[NEPhilliesPhan]

Utley did his best work during the introductions.

[NEPhilliesPhan]

****And at the same time, Marson/Carrasco/Donald for Bedard really isn't that crazy of a deal, unless Bedard is seriously injured. Didn't the M's give more than that for him? ****

Well yeah they did and that's because the O's bent them over the table royally based off one season's performance. The above deal would really piss me off though.

[clout]

How do I get davethom's Chris Coste blog alert programmed to my cell phone?

[B-Mac]

If you were to trade for Burnett without Marson and Carrasco in the deal, what kind of package of prospects would you need? Something like Donald, Golson, Outman, and Naylor?

[flipper]

Replacing Eaton with Garcia = Only in Philadelphia.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

Well, two seasons really, one was good, showing promise, the other was great. But, I know what you mean.

The O's laughed off Gillick when he inquired about Bedard last year. Wasn't it Cardenas and Carrasco?

[clout]

Here's a thought: I like Marson and Carrasco as much as anyone. Definitely 2 of the 3 best prospects. But what are the odds that both will fulfill their potential? In my opinion, not very good. There's risks on both sides of dealing prospects for immediate help. Worth thinking about.

[Inside/Outside the Parker]

BedBeard: They gave at least the equivalent of that, and maybe more. They gave up Adam "not Pacman" Jones, the O's current closer (his name escapes me), and a stud pitching prospect.

I guess it all depends on how you value Jones, and how that other pitching prospect works out, but at this point, you would have to say that the O's got the better of that deal. However, If Bedard were starting the All-Star Game and the M's were in contention, I think that whole scenario would be cast in a completely different light.

[flipper]

But look at the upside of both risks, clout.

Optimistically, getting Bedard and/or Burnett could (1) ensure the Phils get into the playoffs - very likely, and get them deep into the playoffs - maybe even bring a WS.

The upside of not trading for them will mean (1) good chance of getting to the playoffs but not advancing, (2) two players that might be fairly good pros in a couple of years.

Trade 'em.

[Inside/Outside the Parker]

flipper: You could replace Eaton with "Sergio" Garcia and you wouldn't hear a peep from me.

[DPatrone]

If the Phils are on Burnett's no trade list, that's easily taken care of. If the Phils and Jays can agree on a pacakge, then this is what should be done: Burnett is under contract for 2 more yrs. @ a total of 24 mil, Correct? So, if the Phils get him, can't they negotiate an extension with him if he's willing to waive the opt-out clause? That seems logical to me.

The Phils did the right thing with Lidge and if they get anyone, starter, reliever or bat, they must negotiate an extension woth the player if need be to make the trade worthwhile. If they can't do that, there is no sense in making any deal.

Also, there is NO WAY Gillick should be allowed to make ANY deal with the M's involving our top prosects if he's going to be the next M's president. The Phils should get something in writing to protect themselves here. To me, this is a conflict of interest on PG's part. He's knows exactly
what he's gonna do after this year. Retirement is not in his plan I believe.

[BobbyD]

What if the Mets signed Garcia and he pitched well?

[MG]

CJ - Yeah the Rockies supposed demands for Fuentes are nuts. Is he a quality left-handed setup man? Sure. There is no way though he is worth an organization's top prospect or top two prospects. If the Rockies can get a legit arm for him and a decent positional player prospect along with along second-tier prospect, they should be more than happy.

[clout]

Parker: Given how awful Bedard has been, saying the O's got the better of the deal is a no-brainer. But franbkly even if Bedard were a 20-game winner this season, I'd say the O's did better. Jones will be a very solid above-league-average outfielder for the next decade, Tillman is a hard throwing closer with a good curve and the other 2 pitching prospects weren't too shabby either.

[doubleh]

I love Met fans telling me what I can complain about on the Phillies board...

Do the Rockies seriously think they can get an organization's top 2 prospects for a set-up guy who lost his closer's job within the last year or so?

[Bedrosian's Beard]

I would hold on to Marson b/c the phils catching is poor right now and it looks like his type of bat is the kind the Phils need.

However, if we're talking about a good starting pitcher in return, i'd be willing to discuss Carrasco. Trying to make a deal w/out him is a good move by the Phils, but to not make a good deal b/c of what he could be scares me.

[johnnysanz3]

I don't know much about Bedard, but we have definitely seen cases of seemingly unmotivated players, all of a sudden really motivated when playing for a contending team in all sports.

I don't know anything about his injuries or past injuries though.

[doubleh]

All the articles I've read on this ownership group (Middleton aside) state that they are extremely risk-avoidant, which is fine for a Mom & Pop operation, but probably--scratch that, definitely-- not the best outlook to have when you are running a professional sports franchise.

It's all risks and odds with sports. Signing Brad Lidge to a 3-year deal didn't seem like a big risk to me. It seemed to be a no-brainer. I'd like to see them finally take a risk and take advantage of a weak NL while it's still possible.